Capping of bottles and an apparatus therefor



June 4, 1935. 2,003,682

GAPPING oF BOTTLES AND AN APPARATUS THEREFOR A. G. ENOCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 14, 1931 Figi@ June 4,` 1935. A. G. ENocK 2,003,682

` CAPPING OF BOTTLES AND AN APPRATUS THEREFOR Filed oct. 14, 1931` s sneetsfsneet 3 e1 1 O g Eiga i k kc /ka o o LG' g kl iK ma ga \\\\lk\ l Figli.

' I mvENToR 1 -Lmrd H 'In' I Patented June 4, 1935 l UNITED STATES CAPPING OF BOTTLES AND AN APPARATUS THEREFOB Arthur Guy Enock, Wembley Park, England, assignor to Auto Dairy Pioneers Limited, London, England Application October 14, 1931, Serial No. 568,837

In Great Britain 4 Claims.

This invention relates to the capping, closing or sealing of wide-mouthed bottles of either the disc-ledge or non-disc-ledge type such as are employed for milk distribution and delivery to consumers.

Milk bottles of the former type are now usually closed by a disc inserted and pressed down into the mouth of the bottle for some distance to rest upon a ledge, this disc while protecting the milk leaves the mouth and lip of the bottle exposed to dust or contamination, and bottles of the latter type are closed by a cap tied or secured over the mouth of the bottle by hand or xed manually.

The object of the invention. and the problem to be solved is to provide means to cover and protect themouth and lip of the bottle of either type with a suitable cap at a low cost by which the bottle may be capped in a manner not expensive and which can be effected expeditiously.

According to theinvention capping is effected from a strip of material traversed across the mouths oi the bottles, punched, formed, punctured or partially severed to size and shape, and pressed down into and over each botle mouth by suitable apparatus comprising rollers to feed forward the strip of capping material across the bottle mouths, dies or rollers to sever, form or p uncture the material, apertured guide plates between which the capping strip will travel, plungers or dies to press the capping strip into contact with the bottle mouth and means to raise the bottles into position to receive the caps.

The invention will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine showing a reciprocating die which partially pierces the paper capping strip.

Fig. 1a is a plan of capping strip.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the bottle capping head and disc magazine showing the capping strip between the clamping plates.

Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the bottle in the raised position with cap applied and a disc in the mouth of the/bottle to hold the cap in position.

Fig. 4 is a section of another construction showing the caps separately punched and formed from a capping stripl and fed over the bottle.

Fig. 5 is a section of another construction showing the cap pieces punched from a strip over the bottle mouth during the operation of capping.

Fig. 6 is a section of another construction showing means to press or spin the cap into the mouth of disc-ledge bottles to retain it without a disc.

Fig. 7 is a section showing the invention applied to non-disc bottles with an extensive cap or cover.

November 4, 1930 Figs. 8 and 9 are bottles showing diiferent forms of capping pieces.

Figs. 10 and 1l are elevation and plan respectively of the mechanism for operating the guides K K.

The bottles are of the ordinary known wide mouth type either with or without a disc-ledge lin the mouth, and the machine is designed to form and apply a cap or cover over the mouth of each bottle from a stip of flexible material A.

The capping strip A may be strong tough paper or other suitable ilexible light material such as thin sheet metal, metal foil, cellulold, acetylcellulose, viscose or other cellulosic material, vulcanite or other alloys or compositions capable of 15 being formed into thin sheets or strips and wound into rolls.

The apparatus is constructed at the feed end with rollers B to hold and pass forward the capping strip A and a reciprocating die or punch C 20 to cut out, form, perforate or partially sever the strip in a succession of small sheets to form cap pieces a of any desired shape, with or without tabs (Fig. la). The strip A passes through the capping machine, andat the delivery end, the 25 waste material from which the cap pieces a have been removed is wound upon a roller B1.

The capping mechanism is constructed with two horizontal apertured guide plates D, D1 disposed centrally of the machine traversed with an 30 intermittent movement to bring the partially severed cap pieces a co-incident with the apertures in the plates. A clamping movement is imparted to one or both of the perforated guide plates D, D1 to clamp and hold the capping strip A over 35 the area marked a3 in Fig. la during the process of applying the cap piece to the mouth of the bottle. Concentric dies E, E1 and plungers F are mounted above the apertures d of the clamping plates D, D1 which have independent reciprocal 40 action on relative movement being imparted to the bottle and dies.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 the machine adapted for capping disc ledge bottles is constructed with a central plunger F preferably stationary of a 45 vsize to enter the mouth of the bottle, a hollow reciprocating die E concentric with the plunger F, and pressed down by a spring f, of a size to rest against the mouth of Athe bottle, and an outer casing E1 forming a second die e at its lower edge. 50 At one lside of the casing E1 a disc magazine G is iixed with a slide or pusher G1 to move horizontally across the bottom of the magazine G and over the guide plates D, D1 and the apertures d therein. A table or pedestal H is placed below 55 the guide plates D, DI to support and raise the bottles a vertical reciprocating movement being imparted thereto by a cam H1 mounted on a shaft h to raise the bottles into capping position.

The lower clamping plate D1 is of annular form and rests upon the inclined upper surface of bottle guides K which are moved inwards towards the bottle by cam mechanism to guide the bottle as it is raised and simultaneously to raise the annular clamping plate D1 to clamp the capping strip A between it and the clamping plate D.

The bottle guides K, K are attached to rods ka and kb mounted' to slide in a bracket X. The rods Ica are slotted to receive one end of levers kc and the rods kb are similarly slotted to receive one end of levers kd. The levers kc are mounted on a common spindle ke upon which is also mounted a lever kf whilst the levers kd are mounted on a common spindle kg upon which is also mounted a lever kh. The levers kf and Ich engage with a pin k7' on a rod kk capable of sliding in a stationary bracket Y and in a movable bracket Z carried by the pedestal H. A spring k1 is interposed between the bracket Z and a collar km attached to the rod kk, a second collar kn being also aillxed to the rod kk below the bracket Z.

A catch g is mounted on a spindle ga supported in extensions za affixed to the bracket X.

A lever ab is also mounted on the spindle ga both the catch a and the lever gb being normally held in a forward position by a spring gc.

In operation as the table H is raised by the cam H1 the bracket Z through the spring kl raises the rod kk which imparts an inward movement to the bottle guides K, K through the levers kh, kf, kd, and kc and rods ka and kb.

'I'he capping strip A is intermittently fed forward between the apertured guide plates D, D1 the cap pieces a being partly severed therefrom by the punch C and brought to rest centrally above the mouth of the bottle and clamped between the guide plates D, D1. The inward movement of the guides K, K causes the ring D1 to slide up the sloping surface of the guides K, K giving the plate D1 a vertical movement which continues until the plate D' clamps the strip A against the plate D. 'I'he further upward movement of the bracket Z causes the spring kl to be compressed. On the return movement of the table H the bracket Z bears on the collar kn and brings the rod kk down to its initial position.

When the cap piece is securely clamped by the plates D, D1 the bottle mouth presses it against the sliding hollow die E. 'I'he bottle continues its upward motion pressing upwards the die E and a sleeve e2 mounted between the die E and spring f, and the cap piece a gripped between the bottle lip and die E is severed from the strip A. A card disc a1 from the magazine G is pressed forward by the slide G1 into the interior of the hollow die E below the under surface of the plunger F, and into the path of the cap piece a as it rises with the bottle mouth. As the bottle continues to rise thedisc a1 and the cap piece a engage the stationary plunger` F and are forced down into the mouth of the bottle against the ledge, the edges of the cap piece a having -been drawn away from the strip A while it is clamped between the plates D, D1. 'I'he bottle continues to rise until the lip contacts with the die shaped under surface e of the case or body E1, and the skirt of the cap piece a is pressed over the lip of the bottle by the exible material inserted therein. The bottle then begins to descend and the bottle guides K open outwardly releasing the paper strip A which is then skipped forward,

the scrap being rewound on the roller B1. When the bottle has allowed the die E to descend the disc slide G1 is released from the catch g by the movement of the bottle guide mechanism and a fresh disc is fed into position in the die E through the slot therein ready for the next operation.

Movement of the sliding rod ka rotates the spindle ya by means of the lever gb thereby raising the catch g from the position shown in Figs. 2 and 10 to that shown in Fig. 3.

When the bottle presses the die E and sleeves e2 upward the pin e1 in a slot in the plunger F moves a crank-lever g1 and link y thus moving the discing slide G1 outward to its extreme position where it is retained by the catch lever g until again released in order to feed forward another disc from the bottom of the disc magazine G.

As the slide G1 is moved outwards by the bottle (as already described) it presses back the catch g until it has passed over it when the spring gc returns it to its vertical position and prevents the slide G1 from returning when released by the lowering of the bottle until movement of the rod ka allows the spindle ga to rotate thereby returning the catch g to its inclined position and releasing the slide G1.

The edges of the die E may be grooved or iluted in order to crimp or fold the cap piece as it is pressed round the lip of the bottle.

The reciprocating die or punch C may if desired be dispensed with and the machine supplied with a roll or strip of paper already perforated or pierced to provide the cap pieces a.

Although it is at present preferred to combine the operations of cap forming and discing simultaneously in one combined capping and discing head, the operations of forming the cap to the bottle as described and securing it thereon by inserting the discmay be performed consecutively by separate appliances.

Referring to Fig. 4 the cap a2 may be formed altogether separately by a reciprocating die C1 pressed down over a resilient spring supported die C2, the paper strip A being clamped between the plates D2 and D3. The cap thus formed is pushed into position over the bottle mouth below the plunger F by a pusher c operated in a similar manner (not shown) to the slide G1 and is applied to the bottle mouth by the plunger F as hereinbefore described, a disc being inserted therein from the magazine G by the pusher G1.

Referring to Fig. 5 the machine may be made with a punch or die C3 co-axial with the die E to punch out the cap piece a from the strip A while clamped between the plates D* and D1i as the bottle lis raised the cap piece being carried upwards on the lip of the bottle until gripped as before described by Athe hollow die E and forced into the mouth of the bottle with a disc by the plunger F.

Referring to Fig. 6 a mechanism is shown for securing the cap in the mouth of the bottle without a disc and spin it into a groove in the mouth of the bottle by a revolving tool M fitted with two spinning discs m capable of expanding under centrifugal action.

The tool M is mounted on a rotary spindle m1 carried by the plunger F. This method will be more particularly applicable when a metal or metal foil is employed for making the cap.

Referring to Fig. 7 the machine is shown adapted to apply caps over the lip of non-disc ledge bottles the plunger F being wider than the bottle mouth to engage the top instead of entering it. The plunger F acts as a clamp to hold the cap piece a to the bottle and does not enter it while the skirt of the cap is moulded around the exterior of the bottle lip the mechanism for operating the table and the guides being similar to that described with referenceto Figs. and 11. Figs. 8 and 9 show caps applied by this l method.

'I'he capping apparatus may be made as a separate unit or may be attached to or form part of one of the various known types of bottle i111- ing or discing machines.

What I claim as my invention and desire to protect by Letters Patent isz- 1. Apparatus for capping bottles comprising rollers to feed forward a strip of flexible capping material, dies to puncture or partially sever the material into cap pieces, apertured guide plates to grip the strip of material, a reciprocating die to hold the material upon the bottle lip and a plunger to force the cap piece in a well-like depression into the bottle mouth and means to raise the bottles into position to receive the caps.

2. Apparatus for capping bottles constructed with rollers to feed forward a strip of exible material over the bottle mouths, a reciprocating die to puncture or partially sever cap pieces from the strip, apertured guide plates to clamp the strip as it passes between them, a hollow reciprocating die to grip the cap piece upon the lip of the bottle, a stationary plunger to shape the cap with a well like depression and press it into the bottle mouth, a die to press the edge of the cap over the lip of the bottle, a magazine to contain discs and a slide or pusher to deliver a disc into each cap.

3. Apparatus for capping bottles comprising rollers to feed forward a strip of ilexible material over the bottle mouths, a reciprocating die to puncture or partially sever cap pieces from the strip, a pair of apertured guide plates to clamp the strip as it passes between them, a central plunger to enter the mouth of a bottle, a hollow reciprocating die concentric with and through which the plunger passes to press the cap into the bottle mouth, a spring to press the hollow die against the bottle mouth, a die to press the edge of the cap over the lip of the bottle, a magazine to contain discs and a slide or pusher to deliver a disc into each cap.

4. Apparatus for capping bottles comprising rollers to feed forward a strip of iiexible material over the bottle mouths, a reciprocating die to puncture or partially sever cap pieces from the strip, a pair of apertured guide plates to clamp the strip as it passes between them, a central plunger mounted above the clamping plates, a hollow reciprocating die concentric with and through which the plunger passes, a spring to press the hollow die against the outside of the bottle mouth, a magazine to contain discs and a slide or pusher to deliver a disc into each cap.

ARTHUR GUY ENOCK. 

